Familias Separadas / Te Amo (I Love You)

Michelle Angela Ortiz is continuing her commitment to addressing immigrant rights with Familias Separadas. She has created a series of stenciled portraits and phrases derived from interviews with immigrants living in Philadelphia that have been directly affected by deportations. The stencils are being made in collaboration with the JUNTOS youth group and placed in key locations throughout the city. The recorded oral histories are available online for the public to access.

Te Amo is the second project site. The artwork depicts the image of a gold necklace that says “Te Amo” (I Love You) that belongs to Suyapa.

Suyapa proudly wears this gold necklace on her chest. It is a memory of her oldest daughter that she carries with her. Suyapa left Honduras fleeing violence, she left her sons behind and crossed the border with her two youngest daughters, was detained in Texas, and is now fighting deportation proceedings in Philadelphia. Suyapa speaks about love and what happens to love when you leave or are forced to leave.

This project was part of Open Source, a citywide exhibition that brought 14 extraordinary artists from around the world to Philadelphia. They worked with Mural Arts Philadelphia and guest curator Pedro Alonzo to create a new series of public artworks that explore and illuminate Philadelphia’s diverse urban identity.

Location Note: Work no longer on view at this location.

Visit the Familias Separadas Website